She can no longer wear dentures. And said she’s applied for implants – but Medicaid turned her down.

“I’m really discouraged…”

I took her concerns to Medicaid. In a response from a Medicaid representative, the dental benefit in Medicaid is an optional service.

They went on to say, quote, “Accordingly, states have the flexibility to determine what dental services are provided to adult Medicaid enrollees including dental implants. States are not required to cover the full range of every dental service available.”

Not exactly what she wanted to hear, but we did find some organizations that help people when they come across obstacles like this.

One of them – Donate Dental. It’s a program operating under Dental Lifeline Network out of Denver, Colorado. The program assists people who are disabled or medically at risk get donated implants.